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GULF GOVERNMENT UEA GAVE SECRET $20 MILLION GIFT TO D.C. THINK TANK

by Ryan Grim

Documents exposed that the UAE, an absolute monarchy charged with grilling people alive, gave $20 million "gift" to the Washington DC think tank, the Middle East Institute, the home of Charles Lister, Robert Ford, and many other so called "independent analysts/experts"
Revealing yet again the ways in which think tanks are used by deep-pocketed interests to influence US policy debates without $ disclosure.
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"THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES is on pace to contribute $20 million over the course of 2016 and 2017 to the Middle East Institute, one of Washington’s leading think tanks, according to a document obtained by The Intercept.
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The Emirates, according to the Associated Press, operate a network of torture pens in Yemen where detainees are grilled alive.

MEI was founded in 1946 and has long been an influential player in Washington foreign policy circles. It serves as a platform for many of the U.S.’s most influential figures, allowing them to regularly appear on cable news, author papers, host private briefings and appear on panels in between stints in government.

Think tanks in Washington play a role perhaps as important as K Street, though with far less public insight into their activity or sources of funds. While the political establishment is gripped by the question of Russia’s influence on the 2016 elections, Washington itself is awash in money from both foreign corporations and foreign governments."